Utah mother accused of abducting her four young children to flee what she believed were the coming end times now sits in custody overseas while the children remain stuck inside a Croatian state orphanage.
Ellishia Anne Seymour, 35, was arrested in Croatia after allegedly taking her children out of the United States and triggering an international search, leaving the children in legal limbo as their father races to bring them home.
Authorities say Seymour left Utah in December 2025 with Landon, 10, Levi, 8, Hazel, 7, and Jacob, 3, allegedly convinced an apocalypse was imminent and that Salt Lake City would be destroyed.
The children’s disappearance sparked panic after family members realized the trip was not a vacation and that Seymour had no plans to return to the United States.
Seymour reportedly relocated with the children to live with another woman in Croatia and the woman’s 13-year-old son, a move that would eventually unravel when the household learned the children were the subject of an international manhunt.
The situation escalated after the 13-year-old discovered online alerts describing the children as missing and endangered, information that prompted him to alert his mother.
That woman later convinced Seymour to surrender to authorities, a decision that led to both women being taken into custody while the five children were placed into a government-run orphanage.
While Seymour remains jailed, the fate of the children has become the central focus of a growing legal battle involving international courts, child custody law, and diplomatic hurdles.
Kendall Seymour, the children’s father, said in a GoFundMe update that despite traveling to Croatia, his children remain “trapped” under state supervision.
“We are in the country, trying to get the kids out of the custody of the local government,” Kendall wrote, outlining a complicated legal process that includes hiring Croatian attorneys and filing Hague Convention applications.
“We have to hire Croatian lawyers who specialize in child abduction, create and submit Hague Convention applications, hire court-approved translators, and extend our stay here by an unknown amount of time,” he added.
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The father said the costs and uncertainty continue to mount as his family waits for court action that could allow the children to leave Croatia.
Kendall also disclosed that efforts are underway to help return the other American child placed in the orphanage, describing that case as even more difficult than the fight to recover his own children.
Seymour’s alleged motivation centers on a growing obsession with an impending apocalypse, beliefs family members say intensified in recent months.
Relatives reported discovering alarming posts on Seymour’s social media accounts, materials found inside her home, and statements she made to others expressing fears that civilization was nearing collapse.
Kendall previously told KSL-TV that he saw his children just days before they left the country and had no warning his ex-wife was preparing to flee.
“I didn’t know about any of these ideas of hers until a couple of weeks ago when someone found her TikTok account,” he said.
“She thinks Salt Lake is going to be destroyed and she is trying to get the kids to safety,” he added, expressing concern while maintaining that his ex-wife believed she was protecting them.
He stressed that no such beliefs surfaced during their marriage or divorce, which occurred five years ago.
The Croatian case unfolded as another child safety crisis emerged in New York, where a 15-year-old boy vanished after leaving school and boarding a train without telling his family.
Thomas Medlin disappeared on January 9 after traveling from Long Island to Manhattan, according to Suffolk County Police.
Investigators say Medlin left school around 3:30 p.m. and was later seen at Grand Central Station at approximately 5:30 p.m.
His parents reported having no contact with him after that sighting, a disappearance they described as completely out of character.
“He has never left us,” his mother, Eva Yan, told News12, describing the family’s growing fear as hours turned into days.
His father, James Medlin, said through tears that he could not understand why his son would leave without explanation.
Police later traced Medlin’s movements to Lower Manhattan near Cherry and Rutgers Streets, with surveillance footage also placing him in Brooklyn.
Search efforts expanded across Long Island and New York City as friends, relatives, and volunteers organized coordinated searches.
Concerns intensified as winter storms battered the region, pushing officers to check homeless shelters and other high-risk locations.
Authorities later released a detailed update after reviewing surveillance video and digital records.
According to police, Medlin was last seen on a pedestrian walkway of the Manhattan Bridge at 7:06 p.m. on January 9.
“The last activity on his cell phone was on January 9 at 7:09 p.m. and a nearby surveillance camera captured a splash in the water on January 9 at 7:10 p.m,” investigators reported.
Police stated that Medlin was never observed leaving the bridge via any exit paths.
Despite early speculation that the teen traveled to meet someone he encountered through the online game Roblox, investigators said no evidence supports that theory.
“Under the issuance of subpoenas and search warrants,” police wrote, forensic examinations of social media, gaming accounts, and electronic devices revealed no connection to his disappearance.
Authorities added that there is no indication of criminal activity tied to the case and that detectives continue coordinating with law enforcement partners.
“The department is continuing to work with its law enforcement partners to bring closure to the family,” police said, as Medlin’s parents await answers.
